Texarkana ISD has taken certain steps to comply with House Bill No. 2038 and would like to provide you with information that explains concussion prevention, symptoms, treatment, and oversight and include guidelines for safely resuming participation in an athletic activity following a concussion.

While not all concussions can be prevented, the risk of a concussion can be reduced by correctly wearing appropriate equipment and applying proper techniques for each individual sport or athletic activity. Some signs and symptoms of a concussion could include, but are not limited to: appearing dazed or stunned, confusion, forgetfulness, clumsiness, balance problems, personality changes, responding slowly to questions, loss of consciousness, headache, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, double vision, blurry vision, sensitivity to light or noise, feeling sluggish, feeling foggy, problems concentrating or problems remembering.

While recovering from a concussion, limiting the amount of time texting, listening to music, watching TV, working or playing on a computer, playing video games and being in over stimulating environments should be a priority. Sleep should also be a priority and unless otherwise instructed by a physician, it is not necessary to wake the athlete during the night. If the student athlete's treating physician believes that student needs a modified academic program, the student athlete should present written instructions from the physician to an athletic trainer who will notify the appropriate school personnel to organize the modifications.

Once a coach, physician, licensed health care professional or the student's parent or guardian suspects the student athlete of having sustained a concussion, he or she must be evaluated by a physician. Once asymptomatic, the student athlete may begin the return to play protocol as established by the TISD Concussion Oversight Team. After the student athlete has completed the return to play protocol with no symptoms and has a written release signed by his or her treating physician, the athletic trainer and the parent or responsible decision-maker for the student athlete will sign the UIL's Concussion Management Protocol Return to Play Form. The release must be signed by a physician.

The Return to Play Protocol consists of four phases. Phase 1: light aerobic exercise 15-20 minutes on an exercise bike or light jog or walk; no weight lifting, resistance training or any other exercise is advised. Phase 2: moderate aerobic exercise 15-20 minutes of running at moderate intensity in the gym or on the field without a helmet or other equipment. Phase 3: increased activity such as weight lifting, resistance training, sprints and other exercises. Phase 4: non-contact training drills. If the athlete participates in a contact sport then the athlete must participate in Phase 5: a full contact practice prior to the full return to competition or a game. If an athlete returns to activity before being fully healed from an initial concussion, the athlete is at risk for a repeat concussion. A repeat concussion that occurs before the brain has a chance to recover from the first can slow recovery or increase the chance for long-term problems. In rare cases, a repeat concussion can result in severe swelling and bleeding in the brain that can be fatal sometimes called second impact syndrome.

"Insurance"

The Student Accident Insurance Plan carried by Texarkana ISD is intended to be a secondary policy and is not intended to cover all cost related to injury.

Under the Student Accident Insurance Plan, this Policy covers each Insured
Person during the Policy Period while he or she is:
a) Participating in Drill Team, Cheerleading, ROTC, 4-H and FFA activities or school sponsored athletic/UIL activities, including regularly scheduled practice sessions, games, tournaments, events located at other schools, and/or travel directly to and from athletic.
b) School sponsored field trips are covered for all insured persons.

In order to receive the school insurance claim form a parent or guardian must meet with a staff athletic trainer to complete the form and obtain copies.